Crowley has appointed James Fowler as senior vice president and general manager of its Crowley Shipping business unit that serves the US and international maritime and logistics sectors. 

The announcement said Fowler most recently served as managing director of marine and stevedoring operations for Cooper Marine and executive vice president for Blakeley BoatWorks, both headquartered in Mobile, Alabama.

Cooper Marine's operations include 22 towing vessels, 450 hopper barges, and one of the country's largest fleets of dry bulk gantry and floating derrick cranes. 

"As Crowley advances its next generation of maritime services, James Fowler is ideally suited to bring the vision and leadership to help our customers, people, and partners bring to reality the ports and vessels of the future," said Ray Fitzgerald, chief operating officer of Crowley.

"His strengths as a collaborative leader will help propel Crowley forward to deliver the sustainable, high-performing solutions our customers and partners expect," he added.

Crowley Shipping offers design, construction management and operation of a diverse range of vessels, port and offshore energy infrastructure, as well as advanced energy solutions, including LNG.

Its services include ship assist and harbour escort services, offshore energy installation and project management.

Besides vessel design and mariner engineering group Crowley Engineering Services, Crowley Shipping also operates and manages liquid energy tank vessels and global cargo ships.  

While serving in various industry and community leadership roles, Fowler also serves on the board of the American Waterways Operators. 

Crowley is a privately held, US-owned and -operated maritime, energy and logistics solutions company serving commercial and government sectors with US$3.4 billion in annual revenues, over 170 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet and approximately 7,000 employees around the world.

The Crowley enterprise has invested more than US$3.2 billion in maritime transport, which is the backbone of global trade and the global economy.